From the "Fool’s Castle" to the Iron Age earthwork fort

Itinerary

• We start southeast from the bus stop following the Z+ mark, passing by the Taródi Castle.
• At the curve after the parking lot, we follow the Z mark branching off to the right.
• At the Fáber meadow junction, we turn right following the S+ mark.
• At the large intersection, we turn right following the K mark.
• After leaving the pine forest, we soon reach the junction of the K● mark, from which stairs lead down to the Hármas spring.
• We return to the K mark, then, upon reaching the K● mark, we continue westward.
• On Récényi Road, we turn right towards the Forest House Ecotourism Visitor Center, then shortly after, turn right again and start a slow descent along the K mark.
• At the truck turning area, we turn left and continue straight on the Cyclamen educational trail marked KT.
• On the S▲ mark, we turn left toward the Várhely lookout.
• We return to the intersection and continue left and left on the S▲ mark.
• About 400 m later, we turn left onto the K● mark.
• From the Szent György spring, we return to the road and continue on the S● mark all the way to the bus stop.

Detailed description of the hike

From Erzsébet Garden to the Seven Beeches

From the bus stop, we head southeast on the Z+ mark along Lövér Boulevard, then from Felsőlövér Road to Hársfa Street. Before its end, turning right down Csalogány Alley with a 20 m detour brings us to the truly special Taródi Castle. Its former owner, István Taródi, began realizing his dream in 1951 after long planning: for 50 years, he essentially built alone the visible, ultimately unfinished "medieval knight's castle." Currently, the building is owned by his children and grandchildren, who only carry out maintenance work. It is estimated that about 200 wagons of stone were built into the castle, mainly coming from demolished local cellars and houses. The castle has also been given multiple names by locals. The name Owl Castle comes from an early construction phase when a stuffed owl sat on one of the balcony support beams. Later, those who did not understand the peculiar hobby called the building Fool's Castle.

Following our mark, we reach a parking lot, then at the curve take the right-branching Z mark onto a road running under a hornbeam-collarless oak forest, where we begin a nearly 1 km slow, steady ascent to the saddle between Vas Hill and Klastrom Hill. Soon, we arrive at the Fáber meadow junction. Here, we turn right following the S+ mark, passing in front of a chainsaw training area, then turning left, we reach the Fáber meadow, where cattle once quenched their thirst from troughs filled from a collapsed horse-drawn well in the middle.

We cross the meadow at its southern edge while behind us the Dalos Hill TV tower proudly rises above the forest trees. On the other side of the grassland, we turn left onto a gravel road, then pass under power lines and after about 400 m reach the large intersection, where we turn right on the K mark, leading to the Seven Beeches benches.

The once-standing seven-trunk ancient beech inspired Sándor Mészáros, secretary of the Frankenburg Literary Circle. His poem "Seven Beeches" was the only one on the literary plaques placed in Sopron’s forests in the 1930s by the Sopron City Beautification Association inspired by the spirit of the place. The last beech trunk fell during World War II due to a storm, so today only a plaque and benches remind us of the tree that once grew there, as well as of the eight beech seedlings planted in the 1970s by members of the Sopron Post Nature Walker Department, six of which can still be found today.

To the foot of Várhely

On the K mark, we soon reach the commemorative bench of forester Mátyás Bánfalvy and then wind under a forest pine above the Tacsi ditch. Beneath the tall red trunks, black blueberries and May lilies, which prefer acidic soils, are common. After the pine forest, we soon arrive at the junction of the K● mark, from where stairs lead down to the Hármas spring. Between June and August, the protected forest fairy cluster growing up to one and a half meters tall decorates the surroundings with white blossoms resembling fireworks. The spring's water previously surfaced in three visible places, but today only one is operational—reserved in 1980 in memory of the MEDOSZ V. Nature Friend Meeting and last renovated in 2013 by TAEG Ltd. This pleasant environment is definitely worth this short though rather steep detour.

Continuing, on the left side of the road there is a shelter. Turning left after the wooden bridge, we reach the K● mark, which leads west to an asphalt access road. Turning left here takes us to the Várhely rest area, where we can relax at tables halfway through the hike. A small alder swamp colors the landscape immediately east of the rest stop. We turn right onto Récényi Road and shortly after reach the K mark, where a short detour to the left allows us to visit the Forest House Ecotourism Visitor Center. Despite its modest size, the exhibition hall interestingly and comprehensively presents the forest, its inhabitants, and the role of humans. Walking backward on the wooden ramp, we can also see live specimens of native forest game species. If you seek refreshment, there is also a buffet in the building.

Returning to the K mark, we start a slow descent, which circles Új Hill, turning right and passing through a beautiful collarless oak forest to a truck turning area. Here, turning left, we reach the southern gate of the Várhely fortification system, continuing straight along the Cyclamen educational trail KT.

Várhely

Várhely is the most important Early Iron Age Hallstatt culture site in western Transdanubia from the 7th to 4th centuries BC, but archaeological excavations show it was already inhabited in the 13th century BC. Since the Amber Road led under the Sopron Mountains, the area played a significant role in ancient long-distance trade—hence, the largest Early Iron Age settlement in Central Europe developed at Várhely, excavated by the nationally renowned archaeologist Lajos Bella starting in 1887. The most valuable finds are Europe-famous urns with figurative decoration. The 2 km-long main rampart encloses an area of 21.5 hectares, whose inner parts were significantly reconstructed by the Celts in the late Iron Age (e.g., inner ramparts). Layers dating from 750-600 BC yield rye and wheat grains as well as bones of domestic animals (pig, cattle, sheep, goat, horse, and dog), alongside red deer, wild boar, and roe deer bones. Approximately 200 burial mounds connect to the fortified settlement to the south, dated by archaeologists to the 8th to 4th centuries BC. The mound No. 131 excavated in the 1970s can be visited, furnished with replicas of the finds discovered within.

Following the route, we cross former ditches and turn left on the S▲ mark towards the peak of Várhely. The hill’s first lookout was built in 1885 through public donations; it was a pit dug into the ground with an interior wooden formwork cabin. Steps led up to the approximately 10–12 m-high tower. A new lookout replaced this in 1929 and served tourists for 50 years. The present tower, designed by György Somfalvi, was inaugurated in 1981 and renovated in 2009 with the support of the Sopron city municipality and the Study Forestry Company Ltd. by then. By 2023, its condition deteriorated again, and it is currently closed.

Besides the beautiful natural surroundings, the lookout offered the most beautiful panorama over the forests of the Sopron Mountains. To the northeast, one could see Sopron, Bánfalva, Bécsi Hill, Lake Fertő, and the Mosoni Plain. To the east, the Hanság, Somló, Ság Hill, and the Bakony ranges could be sighted. To the south, the peaks of the Sopron Mountains and the Rosalia Mountains; to the west, Ágfalva, Lépesfalva, Forchtenstein Castle, and Schneeberg; and to the north, the Rust Hills, the Leitha Mountains, and the Little Carpathians appeared.

Returning to Sopron passing by the Szent György spring

We return to the junction and continue left on the S▲ mark, passing through a spruce-mixed collarless oak forest where one-flowered feather grass forms a nice turf. After about 400 m, we turn left onto the K● mark, which soon leads down a steep slope. This section can become slippery in rainy weather. After the narrow-certified spruce forest, which is likely to be harvested soon, we reach a path turning left at the Cyclamen educational trail sign leading to the peaceful Szent György spring. Its surroundings are still swampy today, but the nearby resinous alders indicate a formerly even wetter habitat. The shelter was renovated in 2011; however, be cautious with the rotten-legged tables and benches! Near the spring stood the once rain shelter-operating Kinizsi hut, which unfortunately fell victim to a fire.

From the spring, we return to the road and continue along the S● mark. After about half a kilometer of comfortable descent, we reach the Kis-meadow from the spruce-mixed collarless oak forest, then after the downhill track, we arrive at the outskirts of Sopron, continuing along Várhely Street. Here is Frieda Fürst’s memorial plaque, commemorating a young woman shot by Soviet soldiers in 1945 at her parents' home (at age 16) for resisting rape. Her German-speaking family was relocated for a year. Upon stepping onto Brennbergi Road, buses heading to Sopron can be boarded at the bus stop located 50 meters to the right at the end of our hike.